Love Me or Leave Me
by Huntniffbastian
Summary: When Hunter Clarington comes to Dalton, he's instantly intrigued by the mysterious yet frustrating Sebastian Smythe.


My first day of Dalton is like a breath of fresh air. Being trapped in military school was nothing short of miserable, and it feels great to finally get out. I never thought that I would get a second chance after all the issues I was involved with before, at least not before I graduated. But here I am, first day of senior year and I'm a free man. And the new captain of one of the best show choir groups in the country, no less.

I can't help but hold my head high as I walk into the building, not making eye contact with any of the kids who all stare at me in awe. I haven't felt this pleased with myself in a long time, and I'm an awfully proud guy. I walk down into my new dorm room and drop all my things down in the corner of the room as I get a look at my roommate. He's a pretty good looking kid; tall, lean and blond with an innocent look to him. He closes his book and walks over to greet me, "Hey, you must be Hunter. I'm Jeff. Nice to meet you."

I shake his hand with a smirk, "Hey there, Jeff..." I sit down on what's now my bed and take my shoes off, "And I guess it is, isn't it?"

He gives me a confused smile, "Um, yeah, I guess. So um, I heard you're gonna be the new Captain of the Warblers, that's really cool. I'm actually a Warbler myself, so..."

I nod, "Oh, nice. So I guess you could say you're pretty lucky, huh? I mean, I don't play favorites, but rooming with me will probably have it's perks, you know?"

He shrugs nervously, "Yeah, I think so... So are you excited for your first day tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm sure it'll be a breeze for the most part, but I'm pumped for show choir, at least..."

The first few days go by really quickly, I'm constantly busy and always have something to attend to. Jeff and I get to know each other relatively well, and I guess I kind of like him. He's a pretty nice kid and it's helpful to have someone that can introduce me to everyone else.

Thursday I go out with Nick and Jeff for coffee after show choir practice. I like hanging out with them because even though they're a couple, they don't make me feel like a third wheel. We walk out of the building after putting our books away and head into the cool autumn air. Nick smiles at me, "It feels weird that you haven't gone to Lima Bean with us before, it's practically a prerequisite to get into the warblers."

"By the sounds of it..." I agree as we walk down the street, "From what I gather half the business they get is from Dalton students."

Jeff nods, "Well, yeah, pretty much. Even though it's technically in the next town over it's right down the street, so that might have something to do with is."

We get down to the coffee shop relatively quickly, we grab our drinks and sit down together at a table. Nick smiles at me, "So, how do you like Dalton so far?"

"It's...fine..."I answer, my attention drifting to the boy who just walked in. He's wearing a Dalton uniform, but he doesn't really look familiar, which is weird because I would definitely remembered him if I had seen him before. He's really tall and really thin, with up swept brown hair and a porcelain complexion. I bite my lip as I stare, observing him from head to toe. I zone back in, looking back at my friends, "Do you guys know him?"

Nick looks over his shoulder, "Oh, yeah, sort of. Why?"

"Who is he?" I ask, ignoring his question.

Jeff smirks playfully as Nick turns back to me, "That's Sebastian Smythe. We used to be friends last year, but he tends to keep to himself these days..."

"Why? What's his deal?" I continue, my eyes drifting back to Sebastian.

Nick shrugs, "I don't know, honestly. He's changed a lot recently. He used to be really social and popular, but I guess he just decided he'd rather stay below the radar..."

I frown, "That seems kind of strange, don't you think?"

Jeff nods, "Yeah, it really is. We used to be his friends but ever since we came back to school it's almost like he's a different person. You would have liked him before, though. He was a lot like you."

I raise an eyebrow, "How so?"

"He was cool, arrogant, captain of the warblers..."

I stare at him in disbelief, "He was captain of the warblers? What happened with that anyway? Did he quit or...?"

Nick shrugs, "I would assume so, but I don't know for sure. He never said anything to me about quitting, but he was there last year and he isn't this year. I never heard a word about it."

Jeff stares at me for a moment, "Why do you wanna know, anyway?" he asks with his eyebrows raised.

I roll my eyes at him, "No reason. He just caught my eye, I guess..."

Nick smirks, "Well, good luck with that. He _is _gay, so if he doesn't totally ignore you, you might have a shot."

I shake my head, "I didn't mean it like that. And even if I did, I wouldn't make a move on him or anything like that. You guys are ridiculous."

"Whatever, dude..." Jeff mutters, tapping his fingers on the table.

I watch as Sebastian gets a drink and sits down across the room and sets his books out on the table. It looks as though he's doing some kind of homework, having both a text book and a notebook out. Nick sighs at me, "Just go say hi, good lord..."

After more than enough jeering from Nick and Jeff, I eventually get to my feet and approach Sebastian. He looks up at me, seemingly confused. I give him a small smile, "Hey, mind if I sit down?"

"I guess not..." he mutters tentatively, pulling his books towards him a little bit, "Do you need something?"

I sigh, "I was just going to introduce myself. I'm Hunter Clarington, I'm a new student at Dalton. I figured I'd say hi considering we go to school together..."

He raises his eyebrows, looking down at his book, "I don't see why you didn't just say hi to me at school, but sure, I guess."

I bite my lip, getting a little frustrated, "If you don't want to talk me, you can just tell me to get lost, you know..."

He looks up at me, "Yeah, I know. I don't not want to talk to you, I just don't really understand why you're talking to me."

"I think you're cute," I explain simply, "Can I take you out sometime?"

He shakes his head, "Thanks, but no. I'm not on the market."

"Oh, you're seeing someone?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just not available right now, kay?"

I nod, "Sure, okay. You don't have to get so defensive, though, I just meant in a friendly kinda way..."

He forces a smile, "Yeah, I figured as much..."

I look around awkwardly, "So I guess this would be about the time that I leave you alone, huh?"

"Yeah, I think that sounds about right..." he muttered, looking down at his notebook.

I roll my eyes at him and walk back over to Nick and Jeff, "He's definitely hot, but he's kind of a snob..."

Nick smirks, "Yeah, he's kind of known for that. He didn't even give you the time of day, huh?"

I shake my head, sitting down, "Not really, no. He said he's _not on the_ _market. _Whatever that's supposed to mean. He'll regret it later, though. When he realizes that he could have had a shot with me when I'm way out of his league."

"You think so?" Jeff asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod, "Of course. I'm Captain of the Warblers, and he, well, used to be..."

Nick bites his lip, "I kind of feel bad for him sometimes, though..."

"I don't," I reply, feeling a little bit of resentment towards Sebastian, "If he wants to ignore everyone, that's his choice..."

"I suppose so..." Jeff murmured with a shrug, "I feel like there's something else going on with him, though..."

I hang out with them for a while but eventually head back Dalton, having other things that I have to do and worry about than sit around and gossip about Sebastian.


End file.
